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Monday, July 7, 2008

Projecting the right image of India abroad

Justice Syriac Joseph, a Catholic from Kerala, who was till recently the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, is being sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court of India today.This elevation has come as no surprise to those who know the eminent judge. Also, it is another proof that in India, a citizen can go right to the top irrespective of his caste or creed. That is the greatness of this country of ours.

Do some Indians in other countries forget this? I am reminded of an interview published in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel some time back. It was given by a professionally, financially and politically successful doctor of Indian origin. The man reportedly said that minorities in India live under a glass roof and that the Christians, Muslims and Jews of that country go nowhere. The doctor is the son of a Protestant missionary [from India] according to a note accompanying the interview.

I don’t know who this man is. But I felt very bad at what he had said. He is apparently an important person in his community and his words would have caused a wrong impression about India among the readers of the newspaper which carried the interview.

Several members of the communities the Indian American doctor mentioned have held very important positions in India. These include RAW Chief, Commanders of the Defense Forces, Chief Ministers, Central Ministers, Political leaders, Governors, and Presidents. And they were/are from different parts of the country. I wonder whether there is any other country which can claim such tolerance.

Incidentally, the same Sun-Sentinel, on May 12, 2008, wrote in detail about a person fitting the description of the doctor in this story being charged with insider trading by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. I came across this information today while checking before starting to write this. Of course, it is only a charge, and will be fought out in the courts of law.

The point is, in my opinion, People of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Indians traveling abroad should always try to project the right image of India.